University of Minnesota Duluth head baseball coach Bob Rients has announced that four juniors -- Tony Doherty, Andrew Heieie, Kyle Zweber and Alex Conboy -- will handle the duties of team captaincy for the 2007 season.

Doherty was a standout performer on the diamond in 2006 and was recognized with All-North Central Conference honorable mention honors for his efforts. Last spring, the Prior Lake, Minn., product racked up an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.000 while starting a majority of the games during the second half of the season in the leadoff spot en route to finishing last season as the team leader in batting average (.383) and runs scored (42). The 6-0, 200-pound outfielder also plays a vital role in the high-powered UMD football aerial attack during the fall months. Through nine games played in 2006, Doherty leads all Bulldog receivers in touchdowns with six and ranks second on the team in receptions with 36.

The 6-3, 220-pound Heieie appeared in 33 games in 2006 and made 29 starts at first base. After making 100 trips to the plate last season, Heieie sported an on-base percentage of .315. Defensively, the Apple Valley, Minn., native led the 2006 Bulldogs in putouts with 197 and held down a .990 fielding percentage while making just two errors. In addition to his contributions on the athletic front, Heieie has already shown some exemplary leadership skills off the field. He was chosen to represent UMD at the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference at Disney's Yacht Beach Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., held May 28-June 1 (one of just 352 student-athletics nationwide who were invited to the event). Moreover, last April, Heieie and then-Bulldog volleyball senior libero Allison Boddy joined UMD Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin along with a battery of volunteers from the NCAA National Office and NCAA Division II institutions in Indianapolis to construct a Habitat for Humanity home.

A native of Lakeville, Minn., Zweber (6-0, 180) finished up his sophomore season as a Bulldog in 2006 with a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 7.52 in ten appearances (two starts). Zweber, a 2005 All-NCC team selection, concluded his freshman year by topping all UMD hurlers with an ERA of 3.86. At the plate, he has collected 18 hits and 11 RBI in 22 outings as an infielder-pinch hitter during his collegiate career. Zweber also spent some time with the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League this past summer and posted an ERA of 2.35 in five relief outings, resulting in 7.2 innings of work.

Conboy (6-0, 185) leads by example with a tireless work ethic and by continuously putting himself in a position to be successful. In 2006, he started 21 of 25 appearances and, like Heieie, did most of his defensive work covering first base (138 putouts). The Silver Bay, Minn., native hit .296 in 71 at-bats last spring.

The Bulldogs closed out 2006 -- Rients' first year at the helm -- with an overall record of 18-31 (9-12 in the NCC).